Any news on the South West MC revision?

[dodger162]

If SO went onto Dorset, where would PO go?

[Pompey Boy]

I think the safe MCs are:
Cardiff
Bristol
Exeter (Ilsms)
Southampton
Dorset (ilsms)

Very likely to close is Portsmouth, not sure about Plymouth, Truro and Swansea, all cover a large geographical area. Yes ilsms can be moved but the installation costs are very high so any office with these must be safe.

When we close last letterbox and TSO collections on IOW will have to be VERY early.

Why?SO MC is only 25-30mins down M27,or they could use the ferry terminal in Southampton?30mins early max,or am i missing something?

Last specials and first class leave Ryde, IOW by 19:45, 10 minutes by hovercraft, then 10 minutes to POMC. So last IOW gets to POMC at just gone 8. Even this can go tits up at Christmas if a lot of mail is on the last hovercraft and there is always has an element of panic. Bad weather can delay or even stop the hovercraft from running and remember that larger vehicles are speed limited.

Senior men say it's been looked at before, looking at other ferrys etc, but never worked. No doubt a stupid acting or guvnor will say it's possible and then we'll all have to try to make it work, just like having the lorry workshop the other side of SOMC

[hubbahubba]

I think the safe MCs are:
Cardiff
Bristol
Exeter (Ilsms)
Southampton
Dorset (ilsms)

Very likely to close is Portsmouth, not sure about Plymouth, Truro and Swansea, all cover a large geographical area. Yes ilsms can be moved but the installation costs are very high so any office with these must be safe.

When we close last letterbox and TSO collections on IOW will have to be VERY early.

Why?SO MC is only 25-30mins down M27,or they could use the ferry terminal in Southampton?30mins early max,or am i missing something?

Last specials and first class leave Ryde, IOW by 19:45, 10 minutes by hovercraft, then 10 minutes to POMC. So last IOW gets to POMC at just gone 8. Even this can go tits up at Christmas if a lot of mail is on the last hovercraft and there is always has an element of panic. Bad weather can delay or even stop the hovercraft from running and remember that larger vehicles are speed limited.

Senior men say it's been looked at before, looking at other ferrys etc, but never worked. No doubt a stupid acting or guvnor will say it's possible and then we'll all have to try to make it work, just like having the lorry workshop the other side of SOMC

hmmm,some good points you make there mate,but couldn't they just leave a priority services locker for the specials at the main PO DO,which would still be abased at slindon st.?

[hubbahubba]

If SO went onto Dorset, where would PO go?

If SO went into DMC i would eat my uniform,SO is fairly large,and DMC is not much bigger than an idustrial unit!

[fishtank]

Last specials and first class leave Ryde, IOW by 19:45, 10 minutes by hovercraft, then 10 minutes to POMC. So last IOW gets to POMC at just gone 8. Even this can go tits up at Christmas if a lot of mail is on the last hovercraft and there is always has an element of panic. Bad weather can delay or even stop the hovercraft from running and remember that larger vehicles are speed limited.

Senior men say it's been looked at before, looking at other ferrys etc, but never worked. No doubt a stupid acting or guvnor will say it's possible and then we'll all have to try to make it work, just like having the lorry workshop the other side of SOMC

Wouldn't it just be easier for a newly privatised Royal Mail with newly relaxed regulations to apply to the new "regulator" for a special exemption to the USO for the IOW in much the same way that they do already for some of the Scottish distant islands?
You surely can't expect a private company to jump through hoops to deliver the mail when there are savings to be made.

[Pompey Boy]

I think the safe MCs are:
Cardiff
Bristol
Exeter (Ilsms)
Southampton
Dorset (ilsms)

Very likely to close is Portsmouth, not sure about Plymouth, Truro and Swansea, all cover a large geographical area. Yes ilsms can be moved but the installation costs are very high so any office with these must be safe.

When we close last letterbox and TSO collections on IOW will have to be VERY early.

Why?SO MC is only 25-30mins down M27,or they could use the ferry terminal in Southampton?30mins early max,or am i missing something?

Last specials and first class leave Ryde, IOW by 19:45, 10 minutes by hovercraft, then 10 minutes to POMC. So last IOW gets to POMC at just gone 8. Even this can go tits up at Christmas if a lot of mail is on the last hovercraft and there is always has an element of panic. Bad weather can delay or even stop the hovercraft from running and remember that larger vehicles are speed limited.

Senior men say it's been looked at before, looking at other ferrys etc, but never worked. No doubt a stupid acting or guvnor will say it's possible and then we'll all have to try to make it work, just like having the lorry workshop the other side of SOMC

hmmm,some good points you make there mate,but couldn't they just leave a priority services locker for the specials at the main PO DO,which would still be abased at slindon st.?

I don't think so because these are specials sent from IOW that could be for anywhere in the UK or abroad and so need to get to a mail centre ASAP for sorting and dispatch, which could be by air (bournemouth). I suppose the late specials could be processed at a PO delivery office, but they would still need to be on a vehicle by half eightish in the evening.

Rumours are that if we close Slindon St would be sold (yes I know we are having new sorting machines) with 2 delivery offices to cover PO - Cosham and another office in Southsea